Already circling high above the target was the slickest intelligence support America had to offer, including satellites, a high-flying P3 Orion spy plane, and three OH-58 observation helicopters, which looked like the bubble-front Little Bird choppers with a five-foot bulbous polyp growing out of the top. If you like reading military non-fiction books, then I would strongly urge you to give this one a try. When American soldiers were dropped by helicopter into the Bakara market right in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3 1993 for a supposedly easy in and out abduction mission they had no idea that they were going to be part of one of the most terrible, long and sustained close-combat firefights since Vietnam war. During these recurrent asides, readers are apprised of the sociopolitical climate in Somalia, America’s involvement in the region, the backstories of many of the soldiers, what Ranger training entails, the task force’s procedures, tactics, and weapons specifications, and much, much more. S. Rangers providing security, to drop into Aidid’s neighborhood in broad daylight, quickly detain their targets, and get out.

The battle began as a snatch-and-grab mission, meant to capture two top lieutenants of the Somali warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid, who was disrupting United Nations efforts to end a famine caused by Somalia’s civil war. As the story proceeded, these often indispensable details were inserted piecemeal, in a fractured, at times seemingly haphazard fashion. At the time it served as one of the more innovative examples of multimedia storytelling by a news organization.I think if Hollywood had stuck more strictly to the detailed and accurate account given by the author, Mark Bowden, the film would have been even better, but probably never made. This battle marked the first time a commanding general was able to lead his troops with on-time visual reports thanks to helicopters equipped with cameras. I am a big fan of military bio's, combat orientated and I have read some stunning pieces of history, this is outstanding in every dimension, Its an old book now but well worth the electronic version, I will be reading this again and again, So much information to take in and be in astonishment of, disbelief, dark humour, and awe of the bravery of the individual soldiers and the fact that more soldiers didn't die, Stories like this should be taught to Officers who have never faced combat, so they can see what command structure and communication can do for better or as in this case worse, for the troops on the ground. The purpose was to capture several higher-up Somali warlords who were reeking havoc on the local populace in their bids for power.

But Bowden shows how some of this shiny American code of ethics can flake off as soldiers struggle to stay alive. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. His weapon was the most sophisticated infantry rifle in the world, a customized CAR-15, and he was shooting the army’s new 5.

The cinematic spin actually takes away from some of the heroism and deep personal dilemmas that the Rangers and Delta Force operatives fighting in Mogadishu faced that day.